FRANCE/TURKEY: The majority of French people would oppose Turkey's accession to the EU if asked to vote on the issue today, according to a poll that again underlines the extent of popular hostility to the project across Europe.
The poll, by the IPSOS research group for Le Figaro newspaper, showed that 36 per cent of French people were in favour but 56 per cent were against the mainly Muslim country joining the 25-country union in the immediate future. The most cited objection was the fear of mass immigration.
The European Commission is expected to recommend in a long-awaited report next week that the EU opens accession talks with Turkey, although no decision can be made before EU leaders meet in December. Entry talks could then last for years, even decades.
But public opinion in many European countries appears firmly set against the move, leading to increasing speculation that EU politicians are not in tune with their voters. Turkey would be the EU's most populous country, its poorest and the only one with a majority Muslim population.
The French opinion poll found that, of those who opposed entry now, 40 per cent were most concerned by the impact of Turkish immigrants on the EU job market. Some 26 per cent said their main objection was that Turkey is mainly in Asia, while 25 per cent cited the fact that most Turks are Muslims.